What Is The Middle Class Essay

The American Middle class which was once considered inclusive and the backbone of America’s success. In recent years the middle class has take on a new definition. When you ask an everyday American in the 1980s what life would be like as a middle class American you would get much of the same answer. A family possibly with two or three children that live in a house with a yard in the suburbs with one or two cars in the driveway. This definition has been part of America 's core ideology for years. Over the past 10 years that idea of what the middle class means to average Americans has shifted drastically. Many in America now have different idea of what the middle class means than their neighbors, some believe it is still inclusive as ever while …show more content…
Most millionaires think of themselves as middle class, 44 percent Americans worth one million or more call themselves "middle class" and the other 40 percent called themselves upper middle class. (Kerri) In fact the vast majority of Americans, 88 percent, still consider themselves middle class or are striving to be in the middle class. (Ariel) Even though the definition of the middle class is entirely subjective Americans have a deep belief that everyone can be in the middle class if they work hard enough. This perception has begun to fade though as more and more people slip into lower classes.
Moving Up Recently it has become extremely hard to move into the middle class. A person who is born in the lower class has only a thirty percent chance to making it into the middle class. Many people get left behind and stuck in the lower class. Even though many in America believe in the dream of America 's middle class, few actually obtain that status. Many more people than perceived are in the lower class and the harsh reality is that they will probably be stuck in the lower class for their whole lives with no chance of moving up a class. …show more content…
An english essayist Matthew Arnold put it best, “Our inequality materializes our upper class, vulgarizes our middle class, brutalizes our lower class.” Rather than being a place where Americans can grow their wealth and allow their children to be better off than them. The middle class has become a place where people struggle to keep up their standards of living. Americans living in what’s left of middle class feel: “[They] feel like [they’re] struggling harder than [their] parents did, working longer hours than ever before, and yet falling further and further behind.” The cause of this feeling is the fact most in the middle class are falling further behind. “Adjusted for inflation, average salaries have actually dropped since the early 1970s, while hours for full-time workers have steadily climbed.” (PBS) Many in the middle class or lower classes are now attributing their possible success to luck rather than hard work and American ingenuity. This consequently has an affect on the definition of the middle class. Rather than believing that hard work will get you to the middle class some now believe it is luck. Especially when starting off poor “luck does matter.” (Steverman)It is harder to become successful. When you are not starting from the same